Zulu Boot Camp™

BrightSparkz’s Zulu Boot Camp™ is a fun, interactive, CAPS & IEB aligned Zulu tutoring program. It’s designed to establish and build strong foundations in Zulu, making it more enjoyable to speak, read and write, and to boost confidence. This course is perfectly suited to both children who have started learning Zulu at school, and adult beginners. Your hand-picked, specialist Zulu Boot Camp™ tutor will conduct one-on-one sessions at your home or online. They will also provide all the printed material for the course, which you will be able to keep.

For more information about the program and our tutors, please see below.

Who would benefit from Zulu Boot Camp™?

Zulu Boot Camp™ focuses on introducing pronunciation and vocabulary, and building on a learner’s confidence in their conversational, reading and writing skills. It is designed to suit the needs of a variety of different groups:

School learners who have started taking Zulu as a subject and want to get ahead, or brush up on the foundations.

University students or school learners not taking Zulu at school who would like to learn the basics of the language.

Adult beginners who would like to learn to engage in practical and conversational Zulu.

How does Zulu Boot Camp™ work?

Zulu Boot Camp™ is a Zulu tutoring program comprising 10 sessions of approximately 1 hour each. Each session includes various activities, as well as educational games. As each learner progresses, the basic knowledge required to speak and understand Zulu will be gained, while vocabulary and confidence grow.

Our experienced, hand-picked Zulu Boot Camp™ tutors have been trained to introduce you or your child to the basics of Zulu, and our Zulu Boot Camp™ material has been given the stamp of approval by qualified Zulu teachers! A tailored Learner Needs Analysis and Learning Styles Assessment will give further information as to how your tutor will best be able to tailor the sessions.

Zulu Boot Camp™ incorporates an army theme, and medals are given for excellent work, achieving milestones and for passing the test at the end of the course. Certificates are also provided at the end of the course.

“We decided to learn Zulu as 2 adults with absolutely no prior knowledge of the language. Our tutor is so patient and she goes above and beyond to make sure that we understand the intricacies of the language and to ensure that we are able to use it in everyday situations. The Zulu Boot Camp notes are informative and really great reference material. The activities given for homework ensure that we are learning Zulu every day even though we only have a lesson once a week. I would recommend the Zulu Boot Camp to anyone, young and old alike and the group lessons are great to make sure that you always have someone to practice with. Thank you to the BrightSparkz staff and Isabel, our tutor, for helping us learn Zulu!”

Andiswa G. – “I achieved above 90% in isiZulu in my matric year, have been tutoring isiZulu for 4 years at beginner, primary, secondary as well as tertiary level. I pride myself on personalized teaching methods that ensure results that are consistent and meaningful.”

Murpry P. – “Throughout my high school career, Zulu has always been my highest mark , never achieving less than 92% in any tests and exams. For 5 consecutive years, I won the Manitshana trophy at Sacred Heart College an IEB school in Observatory, for being the highest achiever in IsiZulu. In the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, I got to the final rounds of the IsiZulu Olympiad. In 2016 I was awarded a gold medal and trophy for being first in Gauteng for the Zulu Olympiad.”

Megan D. – “At the end of matric, I got 84% for isiZulu first additional language. I was especially proud of this because isiZulu is not my mother tongue. I worked hard and learned the rules well to achieve my distinction. As a result, my knowledge of noun classes, sentence structure and the exceptions is very good. I do not have the vast vocabulary of a home language speaker, however, I gain new words in the hospital wards every week.”

Zinhle M. – “As a native speaker of isiZulu and siSwati, which are similar in syntax and grammar, I tutor isiZulu at beginner level. As an LLB and Masters graduate in the humanities, I have extensive experience teaching students language and communication skills, predominantly in English. However, I have become increasingly passionate about centering indigenous languages and have brought this experience to bear on tutoring isiZulu.”

Andile H. – “I am originally Xhosa; I have been doing isiZulu from Grade 3, and in my Matric year I achieved 91% for isiZulu. For most of my life I have been exposed the isiZulu language and culture, I can confidently say I am fluent in the language. I am very comfortable speaking isiZulu, and therefore teaching it.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the Zulu Boot Camp™ take place?

Just like our personalized, one-on-one tutoring, all Zulu Boot Camp™ sessions take place at your home or a venue of your choice. We currently have trained Zulu Boot Camp™ tutors in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria, but should you live outside of these major cities, we will gladly set you up with an online Zulu Boot Camp™ tutor.

I’m not at school anymore – Is Zulu Boot Camp™ suitable for me?

Absolutely! Zulu Boot Camp™ takes students through all the basics of the Zulu language – it really is Zulu tutoring in the most comprehensive format! Zulu Boot Camp™ is thus suitable for school learners, university students, as well as adults wanting to learn the basics of the language.

How is Zulu Boot Camp™ different to regular tutoring?

Zulu Boot Camp™ is a comprehensive course, covering the basics of conversational, written and spoken Zulu. While regular Zulu tutoring is a fantastic way to fill in gaps in your child’s knowledge or assist with test and exam preparation, Zulu Boot Camp™ is tailored to cement the foundations of the Zulu language, as well as encourage enjoyment, leading to an increase in confidence that will result in an improvement in results.